In many industries, it is desirable to provide seals for articles (e.g., containers, utility boxes, valves, etc.) to ensure that the articles remain closed, un-tampered with, or otherwise secured. Generally, a seal is configured to provide an indication of when an article to which the seal has been applied has been subsequently opened, used, or altered. For example, when an article that has been sealed, it may be necessary to break the seal in order to open or access the article. Thus, a broken seal on an article may indicate that the article has been tampered with, that the article has been used without authorization, or that the contents of the article have been tampered with.
In one example, utility companies (e.g., oil and gas, electricity) commonly employ seals to protect their assets. For example, a worker installing an asset (e.g., meter, junction, transformer, etc.) may also install a seal on the asset. The seal helps the utility company detect if the asset has been opened subsequent to its initial installation. A broken seal may indicate that the asset has been tampered with in some manner, such as to alter a meter reading, or to otherwise steal utility products or services.